Ten Things of Thankful

This is a time to remember and to consider the thoughts that came to me this past week and the things that I experienced that made me realize that there are many reasons to be thankful. So with no further ado, I will link my post to the blog hop Ten Things of Thankful hosted by Kristi of Thankful Me. 

1. Our middle daughter and her youngest son came to visit us on Mother’s Day weekend, and of course we had calls from our other children and some of the grandchildren too. I am thankful that these are not rare occurrences.

2. Being able to go with them to see some of the old familiar places in the town where she lived half her childhood was one of the highlights of their visit.

3. Sharing things in common with our grandson 

He likes exploring antique stores, as do I, and he shares a common interest in reptiles, as does my husband. After seeing a photo taken by our grandson when he and my husband went birding, I think he has the eye of a photographer much like his grandpa.

Grandson holding one of the
fence lizards he caught

4. An iris that a neighbor left on our doorstep

We have the nicest neighbors. (This was left by a different neighbor than the one who left a DVD on our doorstep last week.) The symbol of a purple iris is wisdom, while a white iris symbolizes purity. 

White iris blossom fringed in purple

5. Hearing the stories of why people choose their professions, hobbies, or crafts

When I asked one of the aides helping my mom at the nursing center how she happened to choose her profession, I learned that she had watched the care her grandmother had received while living in a nursing home. This young  woman is currently studying to become a nurse's aide and then eventually plans to become a nurse so she can provide better care to people who cannot care for themselves. As I spoke to her I sensed of her genuine care for my mother and the other residents. She told me she sometimes sings to my mother at night to help calm her. Yes, this pulled at my heartstrings.   

6.People who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with others

A Master Gardener came to speak to our women's group at church this week. She came well prepared and did an excellent job of answering questions that the women had.

7. Viability of sweet pea seeds
Years ago we planted a long row of sweet peas along a fence surrounding our garden. I was so surprised this week to see a sweet pea in bloom surrounded by lots of weeds inside what had once been a raised bed area. I just had to bend over and smell of its sweetness. A symbol of sweet peas is blissful pleasure.

A sweet pea with purple/magenta
blossoms blooming among weeds

8. Siblings helping siblings
Nothing warms a parent's heart more than seeing this in action. There was a need this week, and it was wonderful to know that our children were there for each other.

9. Rags and fiber cloths
Having plenty of these on hand made some of my tasks so much easier this week.

10. Good news
There is an abundance of news that can be quite depressing, so it is wonderful to hear the other kind. Some of the good news this week has been the medical type: good reports on tests, and friends who have been dealing with some difficult health challenges are showing improvement. Yeah!